Mass Effect 3: The Day After
by Freedan the Eternal
Summary: The battle is over, and Shepard wakes up in a hospital room after the pitched final conflict. A little extra closure for characters of the series. Contains ending spoilers.


This is a quickee for me, written in literally two hours after finishing Mass Effect 3 and being left completely unsatisfied with the ending and lack of closure, as well as at least one of the dumbest plotholes I've ever seen. Then the comment "the details have been lost to time" which came across to me as practically a dare to write this. I just wanted to get a little closure, even if I had to do it myself, and have an ending a little more bittersweet, and less all around depressing.

This story is about my Shepard, not a "canon" one. Joseph Shepard was a paragon infiltrator, and a Talimance. Fair warning for those who don't like that love interest. As far as I'm concerned, this is his real ending.

**Mass Effect 3: The Day After**

So much blood and death, all around him. Fighting through the ruined streets of London, only to watch his forces torn apart by Harbinger's destructive weapon, and finally stumbling onto the Citadel to the horrific sight that awaited within.

The Illusive Man's own trigger ended his life, and Shepard could feel his own weapon kicking in his hand, as the power conduit absorbed his rounds, exploding in fire, filling his vision like the fires of Hell.

"I want more time…" Tali's voice rang in his ears as he pulled the trigger again and again, firing into the flames before him, even as an invisible knife struck into his heart, the tears coming unbidden to his eyes. This was the end of it all, at last, he knew, as his vision faded to darkness at last, his wounds too much.

Then, a light in the darkness, which slowly began to grow brighter. It was painful to his eyes, a bright white that glared viciously into him. Shepard realized he was lying on his back, and knew this had to be it. So, you saw a bright light when you died after all…

The light began to dim, taking on a smaller shape, and was surrounded by a dimmer sight. Was that… metal? Shepard blinked. His vision was gradually clearing, and he blinked several more times. He found he was staring at a ceiling light in a metal ceiling. He started to sit up, and found himself restrained by something.

Looking down, he found himself bound down by nothing more than blankets, on a narrow hospital bed. Bandages were wrapped across his body, and it hurt to move, the burn wounds from the explosion of Harbinger's beam still complaining loudly. But pain was a sign he was surely still alive.

There was another shape on his bed, a seat pulled up close to the foot of the bed, and a head leaning down next to his feet, careful not to be on top of him, but their head resting on their arms. With a groan, Shepard pulled himself up into a sitting position, and the movement woke the guest at the end of his bed, slowly raising her head, and taking a second to get her bearings as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.

"Shepard…?" she said, as if not quite sure what she was seeing, as she blinked again. Suddenly she was out of the seat, moving quickly up to his side. "Shepard!" she said again, "You're awake. Kee'lah, I was so worried."

"Tali…" Shepard said as she moved up to him. She leaned close, but seemed to be afraid to touch him. Shepard took her hand in his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Tali started to say something, but choked on the words, and held his hand in both of hers, her attempt to speak turning to sobs.

"What happened?" Shepard asked, "Did the Crucible work?"

"Yes," Tali managed, sniffing against her tears, "A great flash of red light shot from the Crucible, and the Reapers all stopped functioning. The Alliance sent in all the men they could to search the Citadel, and found you in the Presidium Tower."

"How did I end up there?" Shepard asked.

"You don't know?" Tali responded.

"I suppose it doesn't matter," Shepard said, deciding it may be better to not know, "Where are we now?"

"An Alliance medical frigate," Tali said, "There aren't many good facilities on the Earth right now, and Admiral Hacket insisted you have proper treatment. I can't say how much I appreciate it," she added, squeezing his hand again.

They were in a private room, Shepard noted, taking stock of his surroundings at last. The metal walls and ceiling were polished to nearly a mirror sheen, though the room was comfortably furnished. Besides the seat Tali had pulled up to the end of his bed, there was a couch across the room, what looked like a private bathroom on the far left hand side of the chamber, and a view-screen on the wall across from him. The incessant beeping that was irritating his ears was the heart monitor attached to him, a band wrapped around his right arm to monitor his pulse. It seemed his right side was the only part of him that wasn't covered in bandages.

He turned to look Tali directly in the face, the familiar barely visible glow of her eyes and silhouette of her nose through the purple tinted visor of her mask. The knifing pain in his chest returned, and with a sudden shaking breath, he released her hands, putting his arm under hers and around her back, pulling her close to him. She seemed reluctant, trying not to touch his bandages or injuries, but gave in as he pulled her down against his chest. Shepard paid no attention to the pain. It was nothing compared to the knot pressing down on his heart. "Oh god," he whispered, "When Harbinger came down on us… I thought I lost you."

"You almost did," Tali whispered back in his ear, "I wasn't hit by the beam, but if Garrus hadn't drug me back… All I could think about was getting to you, when I saw you staggering toward the beam of light. And by the time it was safe for us to try to reach you, you were gone."

"I guess I owe him one," Shepard said as she pulled back, standing upright.

"You owe me twelve," said a familiar Turian voice from the door. Garrus stepped into the room with no ceremony, though the Turian's right arm was held in a sling, he seemed little worse for wear otherwise. "But who's counting?" he added with a small chuckle as he crossed to the bed, taking a glance at the bandages covering most of Shepard's chest and left arm, and the dark bruises covering his face, "You look like shit, Shepard."

"Thanks, that makes me feel a whole lot better," Shepard said.

"Seriously, though, great job, Shepard," Garrus said, "I'm amazed any of us are alive, all told. Whatever you did in the Citadel worked. Seems it also destroyed the Mass Relays, though. Quite a few of our allies are going to have long trips home."

"How did the fleets fare?" Shepard asked.

"Could have been a lot worse," Garrus said, "After all, we did win in the end. Losses were high, though Earth's condition is a lot worse, but the Reapers focused their attacks on major cities, military targets, and communication hubs. From what I understand, most of the agricultural resources of Earth are intact. That includes the vat facilities. Nobody will starve, at least, and the Alliance is preparing to supply the fleets with rations they're going to need to get home again. Even reconfiguring some of the vats to clone some dextro food sources for the Turian and Quarian fleets."

"Are they even going to be able to get home without the Mass Relays?" Shepard asked.

"Of course," Tali said, "It's just going to take a while. The relays are gone, but it's not like all element zero technology just died. I did the math myself to be sure. You see, at the limits of current FTL technology, traveling from the rim of the galaxy, straight across to the rim again, would take about twenty-two years, not counting the time needed to slow down and purge the drive core and refuel. Of course, these trips are not going rim to rim.

"For example, the Krogan DMZ isn't that far from the Sol system. The Krogan practically just have a hop of a couple months to get home. The Asari about double that. The Turians, however, have a journey of about fifteen to eighteen years. And my people a bit longer than that."

Shepard couldn't find fault with the logic, the technical aspect of FTL flight wasn't his strongest subject anyway, though it made him feel incredibly guilty that the fleets had been stranded in the Sol sector when the relays were destroyed by the Crucible.

"All in all, it's only been about forty-eight hours since the Crucible went off," Garrus said, "But it's already looking not quite as bleak as it did at first."

"What about the Normandy?" Shepard asked.

"Barely a scratch on it," Garrus said, "Fortunately, nobody pulled something stupid, like jumping into a Mass Relay at the last second for no damn reason."

Shepard raised one eyebrow at the comment.

"What about Liara?" he asked, "Did she make it?"

"Yes, though not in the best shape," Garrus said, "I haven't been able to see her yet, but it sounds like her left arm had to be amputated. I'm hoping that's exaggeration, but I'll come back and let you know as soon as I find out more."

"Thanks," Shepard said.

"Anyway, the Turian fleet isn't going anywhere for a while," Garrus went on, "But I thought I'd tell you that when they do leave, I'm going with them. Earth isn't the only planet that needs rebuilding, and I want to see Palovan again."

Garrus offered Shepard his good hand. Though it hurt to do so, Shepard reached across with his left hand to give him a firm handshake. "It's been an honor, Garrus."

"Now don't start that crap," Garrus said, "It's going to be months before we're actually able to leave, what with supplies and repairs needed. Besides that, as soon as you're on your feet, there's a certain bar on this ship with our names on it."

"That so?" Shepard asked with a smile.

"Yep," Garrus said as he turned and walked toward the door, "And after all, you've got to be on your feet before I can drink you under the table."

Shepard chuckled as Garrus disappeared out the door. He turned back to Tali. "So I guess that means it'll be a few months until the Quarians leave as well," he said.

"About that…" she said, "I won't be going with them."

"Are you sure?" Shepard asked, "You likely won't get another chance."

"I know that," Tali said, moving closer to him and taking his hand in both of hers, "I thought about it a lot over the past two days and… there's only one place I want to be. I told you that I want more time. Now I can have it. But I don't want months. I want years. I want decades."

Shepard squeezed her hand gently in his, a smile on his face.

"I want to spend my life with you, Shepard," she finished.

"I've told you before, Tali, my first name is Joseph," Shepard said, "Call me that, or Joe."

"I'll have to work on that," Tali said, a bit of amusement in her voice.

Shepard leaned back against his pillow, with a sigh as the smile faded from his face.

"What's wrong?" Tali asked.

"Just thinking," he said, looking up at the ceiling, "All those men and women who died for this. Kaiden on Virmire. Mordin on Tuchunka. And then I saw James and Ashley killed right in front of me by Harbinger. And then Anderson… Certainly not the happy ending like in the vids."

"But if it weren't for you, and all of them, it would have been a completely different ending," Tali said, "We have a future. It may be difficult, but it's better than what the Reapers wanted."

"Armageddon, the End of Days," Shepard said.

"What's that?" Tali asked.

"From the Christian Bible," Shepard said, "A human religion. It was the name given to the time when the Earth would be overrun by disasters and violence, and darkness would overwhelm all, and then at the end, the savior would come at the head of an army of heaven, to wage one last great battle and destroy all evil.

"I don't know about you, but I didn't see any mythical being leading heaven's army."

"Actually, I did," Tali said.

Shepard glanced at her, and she was staring straight at him. Her expression was difficult to read through the visor, but he knew her meaning. He chuckled. "You think so, huh?"

"I know so."

Shepard smiled. "Thank God I'm an atheist," he said, "Otherwise, you might give me a swelled head, talking like that."

"I think you deserve a bit of an ego at this point," Tali said.

"And I think…" Shepard said, pausing a moment just to make sure he still had her attention, "that as soon as I can walk, and the brass are done interrogating me, you and I are going shopping."

"Shopping?"

"House shopping. If you're going to stay here, I'm going to make sure you have that house you wanted. That, at least, is one thing I can do, even if it does have to wait a few years during rebuilding."

"Oh, Shep- Joe…" Tali corrected herself, and laughed, "That feels so strange say."

Then, she reached one hand to her visor, releasing the safeties with an audible click, pulling the mask away from her face. It always surprised Shepard how human she looked under the mask, except for the faint glow in her eyes. She leaned down over him, and gave him a gentle kiss.

"To our future," she whispered, "It may be hard, but at least I have you. I love you."

"And I love you," Shepard said.


End file.
